Sewing machine



Nov. 26, .1940.

F.BARTON SEWING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1939 Nov. 26, 1940. F. BARTON 2,222,806

SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV, 26, 1940. BARTQN 2,222,806

SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES SEWING MACHINE Frank Barton, Leicester, EnglandQ-assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J., a, corporation of New Jersey Application February 23, 1939, Serial No. 257,989 In Great Britain March 8, 1938 9 Claims.

is particularly concerned with machines for sewing together the uppers and soles of turnshoes oi the last. For the sake of brevity the term shoe is used herein to include outer footwear generally.

A machine of the kind with which the present invention is particularly concerned is described in the patent to Bates and Richards, No. 1,188,389, dated June 2'7, 1916.

The machine described in said patent is intended, as stated therein, for sewing together an upper and a felt sole, the machine having a rotary work entering horn on which the work is supported, a forked presser for pressing the work against the horn and for forming a bulge in the sole by clamping the sole between it and a convex button on the top of the horn and a curved hooked needle which, after it has penetrated the work during the formation of a stitch, is moved laterally to feed the work, the horn being lowered and the presser being raised to free the work while the work is fed.

Such a machine I have found to operate satisfactorily if the material of the sole, and it may be the upper, is comparatively firm or non springy as the better qualities of felt and upper materials are. When the material of the sole is of an exceptionally springy nature, such as soft spongy rubber or a combination of soft rubber and felt, difficulties are apt to be experienced in satisfactorily sewing together the upper and the sole in a machine having a convex horn button and a forked presser constructed in the manner described in said specification. The difliculties are apparently due, at any rate to a large extent. to different portions of the soft springy material becoming unequally and excessively bulged up between the forks of the presser during the formation of successive stitches, thereby causing an uneven seam to be formed on the work.

Some types of turn shoes of the kind in which an unlasted upper and a sole are sewn together have the heel end of the sole thickened to form a low heel portion and, when during the sewing of the upper and sole together this heel portion approaches the horn tip, it becomes desirable for the horn to be lowered to accommodate the extra thickness of the sole between the horn tip and the presser foot.

It is one of the several objects of the present invention to provide a machine well suited for satisfactorily sewing together an unlasted upper and a sole of soft spongy material as referred to.

This invention relates to sewing machines and Another object of the invention is to provide novel and convenient means whereby, in a s ewing machine of the kind above indicated, the horn of the machine may be readily moved heightwise from one predetermined position to another.

Conveniently and as hereinafter more fully described with reference to a particular illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a curved hooked needle sewing machine having a rotary horn which is raised and lowered automatically in each cycle of operations of the machine is provided with means for adjusting the heightwise position of the horn operable during the sewing operation under the influence of an operator-controlled member to suit it for sewing, with substantially equal efficiency, the uppers of turnshoes, off the last, to their soles both around the forepart portions and around thickened heel end portions. More particularly the machine is provided with a knee lever which is adapted to rotate a threaded sleeve relatively to an outer surrounding sleeve which is held relatively fixed in the frame of the machine. Rotation of the threaded sleeve serves also to raise or lower it and a horn carrying spindle is mounted on this threaded sleeve in such manner that, while it may partake of the rising and falling movements of the sleeve, it does not rotate therewith.

In order that when the horn is in its raised position and is pressing a sole against the presser foot of the machine no excessive bulging up of the material of the sole may take place, the presser foot is liked in a convenient heightwise relation to the sewing instrumentalities and is arranged to engage the sole over a relatively large area around the sewing point, thus leaving only a relatively small area to be bulged between it and the horn, and for this purpose it is of a shape like a belt buckle with a pair of spaced and parallel slots formed in it (the slots being separated by an integral cross bar) one of which slots allows the needle to pass freely through the foot on its way to pierce the work and the other of which allows the needle point to emerge through it after having penetrated through the work, the cross bar between the slots preventing undue bulging of the work between the two points where the needle enters and emerges from the work.

In order that the nature of the present invention may become readily apparent, the illustrative embodiment aforementioned will now be, more fully described.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a right hand elevation, partly in section, of the illustrative embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a right hand elevation of the lower ends of certain parts not completely shown in Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section taken mainly along the line IV--IV of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a presser foot showing it in position during the sewing operation; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of said presser foot. y

The machine in which the illustrative embodiment is assumed to be incorporated has sewing instrumentalities similar to those described in the patent to Bates and Richards, No. 1,188,389, above referred to.

The machine of the present illustrative embodiment has a curved work entering horn D which is somewhat similar in shape to that of the machine of said patent. This horn is secured to an outwardly extending mg I on a hollow sleeve member 3 which is freely rotatable about a vertical and threaded spindle 5 arranged beneath the sewing instrumentalities (including a needle N, looper L and thread finger F), the upper end of the spindle extending upwardly beyond the outwardly extending lug I and having an adjusting knob 1 secured thereto having a downwardly extending boss in contact with the upper end of the lug I. Rotation of the spindle by said knob serves to adjust the heightwise setting of the horn in a manner hereinafter described. The sleeve member at its lower end rests on the upper end of a ball-bearing thrust washer ll carried by the spindle and below this washer the spindle is threaded at l3 into the upper end of an externally threaded member IS, the threaded portion being split longitudinally to ensure a tight fit; thus by rotation of the spindle its heightwise position will be adjusted relatively to the member If) and, by reason of the fact that it carries the washer II on which the sleeve member 3 rests, will cause the sleeve member to partake of its upward and downward movements.

The externally threaded member I 5 is maintained in threaded engagement with an outer sleeve II which is supported in a vertical bearing IS in the machine frame and is connected to the upper end of a toggle link 2| which is jointed at its lower end to the upper end of a second link 23. The lower end of this second link is connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 25, pivoted on transversely extending shaft 26, to form in effect a second toggle whilst the second arm of the bell crank lever has a block 21 secured thereto. The upper end of a treadle rod 29 passes loosely through the block and below the block carries a spring 3| on which the lower end of the block 21 rests.

During the operation of the machine, the outer sleeve l1 and the horn are automatically lowered to allow the work to be fed by lateral movement of the needle when the latter is extending into the work and are raised after the feeding movement of the work by connections, indicated at 33 in Figure 1, from a cam lever 35 acting on the joint between the links 2| and 23 to cause the first toggle to be broken and the horn lowered and then to cause this toggle to be straightened and the horn raised once more. In the normal initial position of the parts, the cam lever 35 and connections 33 hold this first toggle straightened but the second toggle formed by the bell crank lever 25 and the link 23 is broken by means-of a further spring (not shown) connected to the treadle and, therefore, the horn will be in a lowered position. Depression of the treadle is arranged to lift the rod 29 and this through the spring 3! will cause 3| will yield and the rod 29 pass freely up through I the block 21.

Secured to and passing through the lower end of the externally threaded member I! is a horizontally extending stud 31 and rotatably mount.- ed on the opposite ends of the stud, at the opposite sides of the externally threaded member, are a pair ofhorizontal rolls 3!. The rolls are received in vertical slots 4| in a member 43 which is rotatable about the vertical axis of the externally threaded member and is mounted on a bracket 45 which is L-shaped as seen from the side of the machine and secured at its extremities on the machine frame. The said rotatable member 43 is held against vertical movement on its supporting bracket and it will be understood that by rotating the rotatable member the externally threaded member I! will be rotated and, since it is in engagement with the outer sleeve I I which is held against movement by reason of its engagement with the treadle operated toggle links, it will also be moved upwardly or downwardly and will carry the horn with it. The threads on the externally threaded member are of coarse pitch so that a partial rotary movement of said rotatable member, imparted to it by a knee lever hereinafter referred to, will effect a substantial upward or downward movement of the horn, even when the latter is being reciprocated vertically by its automatic horn drop mechanism, and the vertical slots 4| in said rotatable member will allow the horn to be raised or lowered by the knee lever or by the treadle or automatically by its horn drop mechanism during the operation of the machine.

For rotating the said rotatable member 43, there is secured to the lower end thereof a pinion 41 which meshes with a curved rack sector 48 (see particularly Figure 4) formed on the forward end of a horizontally and forwardly extending lever 5| which is pivoted at its rear end. on a vertical pivot 53, to the L-shaped bracket 45. Between the pivot and the rack sector the lever is slotted, and adiustably secured in the slot is the upper end of a rod 55 having a knee lever 51 secured to a lower portion thereof. Thus, by lateral movement of the knee lever 51, the

- rack sector 49 may be swung to the'right or left of the machine and may thus impart a bodily upward or downward movement to the horn.

In order to determine, within adjustable limits, the extent of movement of the rack'sector 49 and therefore the amount of heightwise movement imparted to the horn by means of the knee lever, there extends from the L-shaped bracket 9. horizontally extending segmental plate 59 over which the rack sector moves and this plate has spaced apart along its opposite end portions a number of vertical holes 6| adapted to receive stop pins 63, the construction being such that by inserting a stop pin into a osen one of the holes at either side of the rack tor, the extent of movement of the rack sector will be limited thereby. Furthermore, and in order to prevent undesired movements of the horn by movement of the rack sector, there is secured to the undersurface of the lever 5| substantially directly below the rack sector a plate 65 having a series of teeth out into its lower face. A spring-pressed pawl 61 arranged in the bracket 45 cooperates with adjacent teeth on the plate to hold it against undesired movement but is yieldable when the lever 5| is moved by means of the knee lever 5'! to allow the rack-sector to move to adjust the horn.

The presser foot of the illustrative machine (shown at 89) like the presser foot of the machine described in the aforementioned specification, is bowed upwardly, as seen from the side, between its forward and rearward edges and is adapted to cooperate with a button H on the tip of the horn D so that, when the work is pressed between the presser foot, and the button, as seen in Figure 5, a projection or upward bulge in the work will be formed which the needle can completely penetrate from side to side in sewing the upper to the sole. The arrangement of the presser foot is as follows. Adjustably secured by means of a horizontal slot and bolt connection (not shown) to the left hand portion of the machine is a forwardly extending bar 13 which at its forward end supports a block 15 having a pair of ears 11 receiving a pivot pin 19 on which is mounted a forwardly and rearwardly extending lever arm 8| carrying at its forward end the presser foot 69. The rearwardly extending portion of the lever arm is pivotally connected at 83 to the upper end of a small vertically extending rod 85 the lower end of which passes through the bifurcated toe portion of a downwardly extending bar 81 carried by the forwardly extending bar I3. A pair of nuts 89 threaded on to the lower end portion of the rod 85 and clamping the bifurcated toe portion of the downwardly extending bar 81 between them serve to determine the heightwise position of the rod 85 and, since the presser foot 69 is secured to the forward end of the lever 8|, consequently serve to determine the heightwise position of the presser foot and hold it fixed in whatever heightwise position it may have been adjusted.

Since it is intended that a machine having the arrangement set out above shall be particularly suitable for sewing an upper to a sole of a soft spongy nature, the presser foot 69 is arranged to allow only a localized bulging of the material of the sole around the sewing point and for this purpose it is given a shape, as seen in plan (see Figure 6) similar to that of a belt buckle, it being some one and a half inches square and having a pair of slots 9| extending widthwise of the machine (i. e., along the direction of work feed) situated one behind the other and separated by an integral cross bar 93 which is some three eighths of an inch in extent considered forwardly and rearwardly of the machine. As seen from the side, the presser 69 is curved upwardly between its front and rear edges to cooperate with the button H on the horn to form the upward bulge on the work, the button on the horn actually being positioned to lie underneath the forward slot in the presser foot which slot, for this purpose, is some three eighths of an inch in extent considered forwardly and rearwardly of the machine. The rearward slot in the presser foot is comparatively narrow, being three sixteenths of an inch in extent considered forwardly and rearwardly of the machine, since its purpose is merely to allow the needle to move downwardly through the foot on its way to pierce the bulged portion of the work. Like the machine described in the aforementioned specification, the machine of the present illustrative embodiment is provided with means for moving the needle laterally to feed the work through the machine and the slots in the presser foot are of sufficient width, considered along the feed line, to allow the work feed to be so effected while the needle is actually in the work and portions of it are actually passing through the two slots 9| in the presser foot.

In making use of the machine as described above, the operator will first ascertain whether the presser foot 69 is correctly positioned relatively to the horn D and the sewing instrumentalities and if need be he will adjust the forward and rearward position of the same by moving the forwardly extending bar 13 forwards or rearwards or will adjust the heightwise position of the foot by loosening the two nuts 89, moving the rod 85 to swing the lever arm 8| about the pivot pin 19, and thereafter tightening up the two nuts again.

Furthermore he will ascertain if according to the thickness of the material of the sole to be sewn the initial heightwise position of the horn needs adjusting and by rotating the vertical spindle 5 by means of its adjusting knob 1 he may raise or lower it relatively to the externally threaded member l5. Furthermore the stop pins 63 which limit the movement of the rack sector 49 which is controlled by the knee lever will be placed in suitable ones of the holes 6] in the segmental plate 59 aforesaid so that when the knee lever 51 is swung from one position to another across the machine the distance the horn will be moved upwardly or downwardly by the rack sector will thereby be limited as desired. Assuming the machine to be ready for a shoe to be sewn, the operator will thread a shoe upper and a sole positioned therein on to the horn D and will thereafter depress the treadle to move the bell crank lever 25 to straighten the toggle formed by it and the link 23 to cause the horn to be raised and the work to be carried into engagement with the presser foot 69 and a limited marginal portion to be bulged upwardly between the horn D and the presser foot. Further depression of the treadle will start the machine into operation and, as stated above, during the progress of the sewing around the work, the horn will be automatically lowered and raised again by its horn drop mechanism to allow the work readily to be fed through the machine by the needle. If the sole has a thickened heel end portion, then to prevent an excessive pressure thereon between the presser foot and the horn when the said portion approaches the sewing point, the operator will swing the knee lever towards the right of the machine to rotate the said rotatable member 43. Rotation of said member will cause rotation of and thereby lowering of the externally threaded member l5 aforementioned. The lowering of the externally threaded member will,,since'the spindle 5 aforementioned is screwed tightly thereto, lower the spindle and this in turn will lower the hollow sleeve 3 carrying the horn since the boss on the adjusting knob I contacts with the upper end of the lug on the hollow sleeve. The spindle itself will also rotate but owing to the inertia of the hollow sleeve and the presence of the thrust washer, the hollow sleeve will probably not thereby be rotated. The variation in the heightwise position of the horn determined by the knee lever anywhere between the limits imposed by the pins in the segmental plate will, as will readily be understood, be maintained by the spring pressed pawl 61 engaging teeth on the plate 65 position to which he swung it. It will be undersite direction and thereby raise the horn. As

just above indicated, when in its lowered position, the automatic raising and lowering movements will be imparted to the horn just as when the horn is in a. raised position to allow the feed of the work through the machine to be readily eii'ected since'the mechanism for eifecting this raising and lowering is, as before stated, connected to the outer sleeve IT.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and an embodiment of the several features of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

1. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn, means acting during each stitch forming cycle to raise and lower the horn towards and from the stitch forming devices, and means under the control of the operator operable during the continued operation of the stitch forming devices in sewing a seam for adjusting the heightwise position of the born.

2. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a'sole supporting horn, means acting during each stitch forming cycle to raise and lower the horn towards and from the-stitch forming devices, a member movable by the operator during the continued operation of the stitch forming devices in sewing a seam, and connections between said member and the horn for adjusting the heightwise position of the horn while maintaining constant the extent of the movements imparted to the horn during each stitch forming cycle.

3. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination,

'stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn, a member on which the horn is mounted, a support for said member having a screw threaded connection therewith, and treadle operated means for rotating said member duringthe sewing operation to move the member with relation to 'said support and thereby vary the height of the horn with relation to the stitch forming devices.

4. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn, a member on which the horn is carried, a sleeve supporting said member 2,222,sos

having a screw threaded connection therewith, means acting during each stitch forming cycle to raise and lower. said sleeve to move the horn towards and from the stitch forming devices, and treadle operated means for rotating said member during the sewing operation to move said member with relation to the sleeve and thereby adjust the heightwise position of the horn.

5. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn, a member on which the horn is carried, a sleeve supporting said member having a screw threaded connection therewith,

means acting during each stitch forming cycle to raise and lower said sleeve to move the horn towards and from the stitch jforming devices, and treadle operated means for rotating said member during the sewing operation to move said-member axially with relation to the sleeve, said means comprising a rotatable member held'against axial movement and connected to rotate the horn carrying member while permitting axial movement of said horn carrying member.

6. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination,

stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn, a member on which the horn is carried, a sleeve supporting said member having a screw threaded connection therewith, means acting during each stitch forming cycle to raise and lower said sleeve to move the horn towards and from the stitch forming devices, and treadle operated means for rotating said member during the sewing operation to move said member axially with relation to the sleeve, said means comprising a rotatable member held against axial movement and mounted in axial alignment with the horn carrying member, and pin and slot connections for rotating the horn carrying member from said rotatable member while permitting axial movement of said horn carrying member.

7. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping'margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn, a member on which the hornis mounted, a support for said member having a screw threaded connection therewith, and means for rotating said member during the sewing operation to move the member with relation to said support and thereby vary the height of the horn with relation to the stitch forming devices, said means comprising a pinion connected to said member, a rack engaging the pinion. and a treadle and connections for actuating the rack.

8. A machine for sewing together a shoe sole and the overlapping margin of an upper while unsupported by a last having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved needle arranged to pierce the upper and sole in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the sole, a sole supporting horn provided with a convex sole engaging surface, a presser provided with a concave surface engaging the sole and extending across the plane of the needle between the points sole engaging surface, and a presser provided with a concave surface cooperating with the convex surface of the horn to form a bulge in the sole in the path of the needle, said presser extending transversely to the direction of feed and across the plane of the needle between the points where the needle enters and emerges from the sole, and being slotted at said points to permit the passage of the needle.

FRANK BARTON. 

